


The Lighthouse

by demonic_peonies



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Cookie Run: Ovenbreak - Freeform, F/F, Human AU, cookie run - Freeform, croblighthouseau, its angsty yall, mermaid sea fairy, moonlight cookie - Freeform, sea fairy cookie - Freeform, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonic_peonies/pseuds/demonic_peonies
Summary: To a mermaid, a lighthouse atop a cliff is just as heavenly as the moon itself when it casts its golden light upon the water.  To its new keeper, the lighthouse is nothing more than a home almost too empty to bear.It's gonna be a sad fic but it'll have a happy ending I promise





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In which a woman comes home, and a mermaid falls desperately in love with her.

Rain pelted down onto the car windshield in freezing grey sheets as the vehicle made its steady way down the quiet, dim-lit streets of the coastal city.  Not much could be seen past the headlights aside from the fleeting streaks of light that reflected off the raindrops, but nonetheless, the car managed to carefully roll down the asphalt.  Its journey came to a careful halt at the base of a large tower, the driver opening the car door and opening an umbrella to shield herself from the rain before stepping out. In gliding over to grab a duffel bag from the back of the car, the golden top of the umbrella clicked against the vehicle and scratched off a bit of paint, eliciting only a soft sigh from the woman.

The key to the door was another issue all on its own- the woman could barely fish it from the depths of her back pocket while her arms were laden with bags.  She succeeded in this endeavor too, however, eventually fitting the golden key into the lock and turning the slightly tarnished knob. After setting her bags down and finding the lightswitch near the door, the woman took a moment to shake off her umbrella on the porch, lock her car using the key fob, and set said umbrella in its little bin next to a long-unused grey one.  Hers was so vibrant next to it, with its cheesy little patterns of the stars and the moon. She looked at it for longer than she wanted to, and after bringing herself back into the world, she took her bags back to the old bedroom one at a time, too tired to carry them all in one trip again.

The air in the small bedroom was dusty and stale, and smelled faintly of old cologne.  As soon as she tossed her bags down by the dresser, she slid apart the transparent white blinds and opened the window, thankful that the rain came from the opposite direction of the opening, and that the glass was mostly dry.  The smell of cologne was quickly exchanged for the familiar aroma of sea salt, the pattering of rain still mostly muted on the roof of the house. The woman sat down to take her shoes off, and upon disturbing the dusty, stale sheets, an envelope fell from the pillow to the floor with a soft flutter.  It took her but a moment to toss her shoes to the side and pick it up, already feeling the ache in her heart grow when she saw whose handwriting it was on the front, her name in imperfectly scrawled cursive. Her fingers trembled as she tore it open, already feeling the sting of rising tears before her gaze even flickered over the paper.  She cupped a hand over her mouth as she read in an effort to keep quiet, even if no one was around to hear.

 

_Hey sweetheart,_

_I know I won’t be around when you read this letter, but I wanted to write it anyway.  I’m not spectacular at sappy stuff, but you know that, I guess. I just wanted to tell you one thing, since I don’t have a lot of ink left in this pen to write everything I want to say with._

_I want you to know that I’m really grateful for you driving all the way back up here to take keep up the lighthouse.  I know it’s all electronic, but still. I do want you to know, though, that if you do anything out here other than dust everything off and go through my old books, I want it to be something that makes you happy._

_Yeah._

_Don’t forget about happiness while you’re here, sweetheart._

_I love you,_

_Dad_

 

The dams had broken and were silently spilling their contents onto the woman’s soft cheeks, her breathing quietly hitching.  She set the letter down beside her, moving her hand up from her lips to her hair, tangling it in her black curls. Taking a deep breath, she wiped off her cheeks, finger-combing her hair a bit more to calm herself down.  She cursed a little under her breath, manifesting a humored smile. _My father always was such a wizard with even the simplest of words,_ she thought with a sigh.

It wasn’t until after she had put the letter away in the drawer of the bedside table that it clicked in her mind; she needed to actually check up on the lighthouse.  She hauled herself up out of her seat and headed to the back of the house, opening an old door. From beyond it, she was met with even more stale air, and a staircase barely visible.  She flipped the lightswitch that activated a series of flickering lights that went up the spiraling corridor, not hesitant in her gait; what was the worst she would meet in an empty hallway, a spider?  That was nothing to fear.

She reached the top and quickly checked everything up top before standing out at the railing, looking over the sea, the steady waters crashing against the cliffs beneath her.  The moon hung heavily over the water, full and round and ready to fall right out of the sky and drown in the sea it pulled toward it so incessantly.

She felt, for a moment, that she might fall into the sea as well, and stepped away from the railing.  After a moment more of looking out, she felt shivers creep upon her from the gusts of freezing wind, and glided back down the steps to the bedroom to finally curl up and sleep.

* * *

The thick night air when accompanied by rains allowed for many a sea creature to rise from the depths unnoticed.  This principle was regularly exhibited by a certain mermaid who, every night, delighted looking up at the strange, heavenly tower of light.  She dared even to haul herself up on the rocks at the base of the cliff for a better look, the warm light falling upon her in brief stretches.

This night, however, was different.  When her eyes broke the surface of the water, she saw something in the heavens, contrasted against the harsh gold.  It didn’t take her long to recognize it as a human figure, black curls blowing in the cold wind, the curves of her silhouette cutting through the light.  To the mermaid’s heart, the world seemed to stand still.

Then the figure turned and left, and the rain began falling upon the mermaid’s cheeks, the wind gusting, the waves crashing again.

Never before had she seen such a gorgeous, heavenly being.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which flowers are bought and a heart's longing is sealed.

The woman drove into town the next day in the late morning, the sky still dark with cloud cover.  On her mind were two things; groceries and, if she still had energy after that, flowers to brighten up the house a bit.  The coastal town was small; there was little traffic to impede her, and her main focus was on trying not to get lost in the low-hanging fog that stifled the morning air.

After groceries, the woman pulled into the parking lot for a streetside flower boutique, the building’s facade decorated quaintly with ivy crawling up the faded brown bricks.  After closing her car door, she quickly realized that her scarf and coat were not needed while the sun was out, and stepped inside the boutique with only her sweater. A little bell tinkled upon her entrance, and she was greeted with the sweet aroma of many combined flowers and the soil they had been grown in.  She had to duck beneath hanging baskets holding various tendrils as she walked inside, her gaze lost in the countless vibrant leaves that cluttered the small building, the sunlight streaming in from slightly foggy windows.

The noise of a mug being set down on wood tore her from her silent peace.  She turned quickly to the source of the noise, only to find a young man smiling patiently toward her from behind the front counter.  His vibrant green hair and tanned complexion had rendered him hard to notice to her tired eyes, and even though he didn't seem to mind, she found herself blushing in embarrassment.

“I- oh-- I didn’t even see you…”  She searched his outfit for a nametag, finding one clipped onto his apron.  “... Herb?” Perhaps the pseudonym aligned with the store’s theme, she decided.

“Oh, that’s alright,”  His voice was soft and calm.  “You looked like you were enjoying yourself, anyway.  Are you just here to look around?” His smile fell only when he took another sip from his mug of what smelled like tea.”

“Well, I suppose I was just looking for something that might brighten up my living room a bit, but I’ve never been all too talented at making arrangements look pretty or anything like that,”  She ran her fingers through the curls of her hair absently as she spoke, just to have something to do with her hands.

“Then you’ve come to the right man,”  Herb set his mug of tea down on the counter and, grabbing small handheld shears from the pocket of his apron pre-emptively, began absently gesturing with them as he spoke.

“What kind of, like,”  Herb chuckled a little.  “-like vibe are you looking for?  In your living room, what kind of mood do you wanna bring into the house?”  The woman thought for a moment before answering, thinking of the right word.

“Hope, maybe?  Gosh, that sounds cliche, but… I mean, just positivity?  That makes sense, right?”

“Of course, give me one second,”  Herb gestured once again with his shears when he spoke.  “Stay here, alright? Don’t, ah, drink my tea or anything silly like that.”  He disappeared into the labyrinth of leaves to pick flowers, leaving the woman to her own devices.

The woman’s own devices turned out to be her spacing out yet again, which were once again broken by the sound of something hitting the wooden counter.  Upon her returning her gaze to the green-haired man, she found a glass vase adorned with a vibrant crown of different flowers.

“So, I picked out a few special ones for ya,”  He began. “There are begonias and freesias, mainly, for positive energy, getting over a difficult problem, stuff like that.  And a lavender rose, it smells nice to top it off. Not too over-the-top?”

“No, not too over-the-top,”  The woman returned, pulling her wallet out from her bag while she spoke.  “It’ll be perfect… how much?”

“Fifteen, dear,”  Herb chirped back, giving her a small thank you when she handed it over in cash.  He handed the vase of flowers to her carefully, the glass cold upon her touch.

She was careful to set the flower vase in her lap as she drove back to the lighthouse, hoping that she could keep them from turning over and spilling slightly sweet water all over her car.  To her relief, her plan worked, and the vase soon found its home on her empty dining table after the groceries had been put away, a few rays of sunlight from the mostly-closed window gracing the petals.  Herb had been right, she decided. The lavender rose did smell nice. However, as lovely as the flowers were, they looked rather lonely on the table, unable to properly fill the space. With a sigh, the woman rubbed her eyes and, already unmotivated enough, drew the blackout curtains in the bedroom and welcomed sleep.

* * *

 

The mermaid was alerted by the sudden golden light filtering through the water, and glided smoothly to the surface, enraptured by the heavenly tower above.  She squinted, straining her eyes in hopes of seeing the silhouette once again. She scanned the top of the tower as the light spun round and round above the water, but as the moments passed, the water dripping slowly off her skin, a seed of doubt planted itself in her heart.  Perhaps she had hallucinated last night, perhaps it had only been a mistake…

Not a moment later, she saw a smaller light emerging from the bottom of the tower, only a tiny flicker in its presence.  Slowly and steadily the light descended the sheer cliff, growing brighter and more distinct as it did. The mermaid swam just beneath the surface, closer to the cliff to get a better look at the light; she eventually settled for clinging to a long wooden pole beneath the water’s surface, now able to see the light as it swayed a bit, buffeted by the wind.  Reflecting the light was, miraculously, the figure she had seen last night, curls cascading bountifully off her head, her form mostly shrouded in large, warm clothes the mermaid had seen other humans wear, to protect herself from the powerful, buffeting winds that incessantly attacked the cliffside.

Every step the figure took, careful and graceful, enchanted the mermaid even more.  Her eyes, glowing gold in the handheld light she had brought with her, so focused on her task and so calm, were mesmerizing, even beneath the wavering film of the water.

The moment the woman sat down on the dock could not come soon enough for the mermaid.  Said woman meticulously straightened out her coat as she sat, careful to keep her boots above the water.  From the inside of her coat, somewhere shrouded in black, appeared what the mermaid knew as a book, well-loved and dog-eared in many places.  The woman opened it up and, discontented, sighed softly in a plume of vapor as she re-situated her lantern to a spot where the light shone more easily on the pages.

The light also reflected rather noticeably off of the mermaid’s eyes, making them appear like glittering golden coins from beneath the water’s gently rippling surface.  The woman seemed to catch this out of the corner of her eye and let out a cry that, even muted to the mermaid from beyond the water, was rather loud and sharp. The woman scrambled to her feet, her breath now billowing forth in prominent clouds, her pupils tight and her hands trembling in fear.  She stood still for but a moment, holding the lantern out over the water tentatively; the mermaid blinked slowly, and the woman, assured she wasn’t hallucinating, pulled her coat tight and clattered back up the stone steps on the cliffside.

The mermaid’s head broke the surface and she hauled her front half up onto the old wooden dock in a vain attempt to try and reach the woman, but the latter didn’t look back.  The mermaid slid back down into the water, her seed of doubt blooming into a sickly flower.

* * *

 

The woman’s thoughts upon reaching her home once more were ones of confusion.  Surely she had just hallucinated out of exhaustion, or had simply seen something harmless floating in the water.  Yes. That was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise im done dragging this fucker out  
> next chapter i'll give the gays what they want but y'all gotta be patient w me ok


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which gifts are exchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yeah i know its been months i just lost interest... and then I saw a comment from one of my readers while going through my email and remembered that people actually enjoy reading what I write! so yeah, i'll try to keep updating again. hopefully the next hiatus won't be this long.
> 
> (thank you MissPaige for your sweet comment <3)

After a day of cleaning to distract herself from her own thoughts, the woman resigned herself to returning to the dock the following night.  When she reached the rickety wooden platform, she swept her lantern over the water, searching for the eyes she had seen the night before, finding nothing unusual beneath the murky surface of the churning water.  Satisfied, she settled down to sit and open her book, placing her lantern on the edge of the dock.

The mermaid was watching carefully from just beneath the water’s surface on the other side of the wooden platform, almost quivering with anxiety and anticipation.  She knew it would be wrong to simply sit beneath the water and watch the woman, so as the waves gently pulled her to and fro as they struck the cliff and retreated once more, she eventually came up with an idea.  Making sure for one final time that she wouldn’t be noticed, the mermaid swirled down beneath the surface and into the murky darkness.

Hidden in a well-sized hole in the side of the cliffside, underwater and invisible to all else, was where the mermaid hid her stash of treasures, safe and away from the battering tide.  She rummaged deftly through golden coins, necklaces, jewels, and other riches to find exactly what she needed, clutching tightly what she could in her hands before she swiftly glided back to the dock.  Upon returning, she glanced at the woman for a moment more, making certain her attention was fully on the pages of her book.

Ever so carefully, the mermaid lifted her arms from the water’s surface, placing a silver necklace and a few of the shells she found the prettiest onto the wood of the dock.

* * *

 

The woman’s reading was interrupted by the sound of delicate clattering.  She glanced over to the end of the dock, expecting a rock to have fallen from the cliff above.  Instead, she was greeted with shells of iridescent pinks and blues, and with blue and white stripes like a porcelain bowl, and with a very old, but very beautiful, silver chain, upon which hung pendants depicting the moon and stars, made of opals and diamonds.  She took the necklace delicately in her hands, the metal freezing to the touch, the pendants jingling softly when hung in the air. She set the necklace and shells in her lap as carefully as she could, letting the loose fabric from her sweater slowly dry them off.

Making sure not to disturb the trinkets in her lap, the woman slowly peered over the edge of the dock, searching the water.  For a fraction of a second, she saw the glinting eyes once more from beneath the rolling water, before they blinked and disappeared.

This time, however, she wasn’t scared.

Why would she be?  She had been given a gift.

* * *

 

Nights passed quickly for the woman and the mermaid, after that.  The woman soon learned to bring a jar with her, to keep the shells and jewels in.  She gave gifts in return as well, when she could, in the form of spare silverware, old shot glasses, and once, a book.  The book was promptly rejected from whoever the second party was, however. She had spent the following day drying out the pages.

The woman had contented herself with believing she was exchanging these gifts for her soul and a few shells, but she was unperturbed.

One night was particularly frigid for both of them.  Water that had splashed up higher on the cliff had frozen upon contact, leaving slowly growing, very salty icicles on the sandstone wall.  The woman had brought an additional windbreaker to wear on top of her sweater, and thicker socks, but the mermaid had no such luxury to prepare for the occasion.  Instead, she kept herself moving, swimming routine laps around the pillars of the dock while the woman prepared her gift, careful not to lacerate herself on barnacle shells while she swam.

The mermaid paused, hearing the muted tapping of the woman’s nails on the wood, meaning her gift had been set down, and glided slowly closer to the surface.  She lifted her fingers above the water’s surface to test the air, finding it just as cold as the water. She realized her movement was slower than she wanted it to be; she prayed to herself the woman wouldn’t look when she reached her hand up to take the gift.

She felt a smooth, small cylinder in her fingers, and drew it back beneath the dock to look at it.  It was a small glass cylinder, hollow, capped and sealed with glue. Inside were a few paper-thin green strips, which the mermaid was able to vaguely identify as grass.  A tiny smile rose to her lips; it was a piece of the woman’s world, sealed, impenetrable, perfect. She was in the middle of fawning silently over it when she heard a soft gasp from above the deck.

* * *

 

The woman only had to lean over a little bit to see the smooth, iridescent hair of the mermaid as it disappeared into the murky water.  Her eyes, bright and blue, captured the woman’s attention immediately, her slender, lithe features almost unmoving in what the woman quickly recognized as fright.

“Well, I guess I’m not selling my soul or anything silly like that, after all…”  The woman breathed softly, stunned, enraptured, but not afraid.

The mermaid moved ever so cautiously to place her hands on the edge of the deck, the vial of grass still safely tucked in one palm.  The woman scooted back a bit on instinct, but not by much.

“Why… why are you giving me these gifts?”  The woman managed to speak just a little louder than the waves, not wishing to scare this creature off.

The mermaid grasped for answers inside her head, for a way to formulate her thoughts.  “You’re…” Her accent was foreign and thick, but not impossible to understand. “You’re beautiful.  What else was I to do?”

The woman chuckled, nervously blushing.  “Well, thank you, I guess… Is this--” She pursed her lips.  “- is normally what you’d do?”

“Yes…?  Is it not normal for you?”

“Um… I mean, getting gifts from an admirer, sure, but… I never thought… you-- your existence.  That’s what’s not normal to me, I suppose,”

“Ah… okay.  I figured it might be strange,”

The pair sat in tense silence for a long moment.

“Would you mind if I… if I went home?”  The woman asked. Her book was long closed, the jar shut; she could stand up and leave whenever she wished.

“Of course not… but-- but, ah, may I ask for one thing more?”

The woman bit her lip.  “Sure,”

“What’s your name?”  The mermaid’s bright eyes made the woman long to say it, but she held back.  She didn’t know what a mermaid could do with her name, being a mythical predator and all.

“Ah… what if I told you tomorrow?”  The woman suggested softly, drawing her legs beneath her to prepare to stand up.  “We could say both our names to one another tomorrow.”

“... Okay,”  The mermaid agreed after a moment, slinking back beneath the dock with a little wave.

The woman took a moment to breathe, looking out over the water as she saw the mermaid’s iridescent scales disappear beneath the darkness of the freezing water.  Making sure no return trip would be made, she lifted her lantern and carefully glided back up the cliff steps, mystified and dazed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which food and names are shared.

The mermaid found herself delighted when she saw the tower’s light, and soon, the woman come gliding down the stairs for another night.  She propped her hands up on the dock and got herself used to the chilling breeze above the surface before the woman made it down, unable to keep herself from smiling softly when the woman sat down next to her, tucking her legs up beneath her so they wouldn’t get wet.

“Mkay, gifts in here,”  The woman began, her voice soft as she unscrewed the lid on the thing she called a “may-sin jar” and held it out for the mermaid to place her shells in.  She eagerly complied, the shells, still dripping wet, clattering into the jar as she let them roll out of her palm.

“You’re so good at finding the prettiest ones…”  The woman smiled softly, gazing with tired eyes upon the shells in the jar as she capped it.  “I brought something a little different tonight, but I hope you don’t mind too much,” The woman led the conversation, but the mermaid didn’t mind.  She lifted herself up out of the water a bit more and propped herself up on her elbows, gazing up past the woman’s lap to see what she had brought.

The result was a blue box, which the woman quickly popped open.  Even without the ability to read the lettering on the front, the mermaid quickly picked up the scent of sugar, faint and sweet, and knew it was food.  The woman shook the box a little, a few crumbly-looking golden discs falling into the palm of her hand. She took one in her mouth, handing the other out to the mermaid for her to take.  The latter shook off her webbed fingers so they were at least a little dry, and took the disc carefully; in the process, her hands brushed the woman’s, and she gasped under her breath, shoving the disc promptly in her mouth to try and mask her rising blush.

“Oh, dear, your hands are just freezing…”  The woman cooed, deftly unwrapping her scarf from around her neck and offering the warm cloth to the mermaid.  She hesitated, but eventually held her hands out a little, letting the woman gently lace the scarf around them, setting her hands on top for good measure.

If the mermaid wasn’t blushing before, she surely was now.

“How does it taste, by the way?  You probably haven’t had many sugary things before…”

“Oh, um,”  The mermaid swallowed.  “It’s definitely different, but… not bad!  What is it?”

“They’re called Moonlight cookies,”  The woman showed the box to her briefly, shaking a few more cookies out for herself in the process.  “They’re from, like, Japan, but… I get them mailed to me every time I get sad and I just pray that they show up at least relatively un-crushed,”  She smiled softly, popping another cookie in her mouth before returning one her hands to the mermaid’s scarf bundle.

The mermaid’s expression dropped.  “Sad? Why… why are you sad?” Her voice held a tiny note of disbelief.  

_ How can she, so beautiful, living up so high, be sad, of all things? _

“Well, uh…”  The woman took a moment to gather her thoughts.  It was harmless, she decided, to tell the mermaid certain things.  “I’m only here because my dad… can’t take care of the lighthouse anymore.  I’m just making sure it’s kept up until someone real can come in and take my place…”  She sighed softly. “It can just get lonely…”

The mermaid’s heart dropped and shattered.  “How… how long do you think you’ll be here?”

“I’m not sure…”  The woman shrugged, rubbing off her eyes.  “I sent out applications before I finished the drive out here, and no one’s responded yet…”

A somber silence fell over the pair.

“These- these cookies are really good, by the way,”  The mermaid broke the silence carefully, setting her scarf-laden hands down on the wood of the dock.

“I’m glad you like them,”  The woman smiled, but it was a sad smile.  The mermaid felt compelled to do something, anything, to help give the woman a little happiness.

“Is there, ah… any way I could help?”

“I… I don’t think so.”

“Um… aside from cookies, what do humans usually do to give each other comfort?”  Tried the mermaid.

“Well, this is part of it, I guess…”  The woman placed her hands back on the mermaid’s, the warmth of her palms detectable through the cloth.

“P-putting scarves on the other’s hands??”  The woman gifted the other with a little giggle at that.

“No, no… holding each other’s hands.  Here,” Before the mermaid knew it, the scarf had been partly unwrapped and the woman’s palms were upon her own, soft and pale.  She was a little starstruck, tilting her hands so she could feel the woman’s palms a little better.

“Woah…”  She hadn’t realized she’d let that slip out between her lips before she saw the woman blush and let out a slightly anxious laugh.

“I take it you’ve never really held hands with someone before, huh?”  The woman looked a little happier, at least; perhaps holding her hands was really working.

“N-no… not that I can remember,”  She chuckled, carefully lacing her fingers with the woman’s as best as she could, despite her hands being mostly webbed.  “Oh,” She blinked rather abruptly. “I forgot that we were going to tell each other our names today!”

Seeing how eager the mermaid suddenly became, the woman, with a small giggle, conceded to telling her.  “Well, thank you for reminding me then… um, well, my name is Cerridwen,” She decided her leap of faith in trust had ended in success when she sat the soft awe blooming across the mermaid’s cheeks.

“Your name… it’s so pretty,”  The mermaid blushed more, her cheeks dusted with a faint red, warmed further by the light of the lantern.  “Uh… my name is--” What followed was nothing but a garbled, foreign mess, and the woman couldn’t help but tilt her head to the side, furrowing her brows.

“Oh, you… you didn’t understand that, huh?”  Both of them giggled a little as the woman shook her head.  “Well, um… I’ve been called a Merrow in the past?”

Cerridwen’s eyes lit up in recognition.  “Oh, I’ve heard that term before… it’s another word for mermaid, right?”

“Um… I think so?  I’m not sure,”

“Well, I’ll read up on it… in the meantime, though,”  Cerridwen looked surprisingly happy, having distracted herself.  “I was thinking I’d go to the beach tomorrow… it’s supposed to be a little warmer, anyways… would you, ah, is it dangerous for you to go too far up a beach?”

“No…?”

“Well, then… would you like to meet me on the beach tomorrow?”

“What time?”

“Mmmm, just before the sun peaks, how about that?”  Cerridwen was just assuming the mermaid didn’t know about time.

“… Sure.  I’ll, um… be on the lookout,”  The tiny smile, eager and bright, that the mermaid produced, brought an unexpected warmth to Cerridwen’s heart.  Smiling in return, she gently took her scarf back, lacing it around her neck again; it was dry enough to do so, thank goodness.

“Well, don’t get eaten up or anything silly like that before tomorrow, okay?”  The woman smiled more as she stood up, making sure the mermaid slipped off into the water alright before she turned around to glide up the stairs.

She had just made a date with a mermaid.

No, surely that couldn’t be it!  She just needed to get out of the house, that’s all.

And meet a mermaid.

Yeah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cerridwen is the name of the Celtic goddess of the moon btw lmao  
> and Merrows are mermaids specifically in Irish mythology so? if that gives yall any idea of just where this lighthouse is
> 
> next chapter within two weeks i promise,, im super clogged up w school but im really trying
> 
> i love you guys <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the sun graces the pair with its warm rays for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im being really beat up by school rn ;;;; sorry for the wait yall  
> stay tuned tho ;) hopefully the next chapter will be out in the next two weeks

To Cerridwen’s delight, the next way was quite a bit warmer.  She was able to open up her bedroom window without being blasted with frigid air, and the sunlight was bright, but not overbearing.  She found herself able to get ready to depart in decent time, and before heading out, she looked over at the flowers she had left on the dining room table.  Their petals were finally graced with sun, and although most were wilted already, the lavender rose she’d been given was still standing tall and bright at the very top of the bouquet.

Mustering a soft smile to herself, she picked up her bag carefully -it had her lunch in it, after all- and shuffled out to her car, locking the door behind her.  In the window just by the front door, she saw the mason jar partially filled with sand and shells. She dearly hoped the mermaid would find her today.

Driving into town was a simple matter; it was a weekday, so everyone with a job and a car was at their job already, and their cars were parked in lots.  Subsequently, the beach was almost entirely empty, aside from an elderly couple walking their dog along the sand farther up, and a group of teenagers playing volleyball.  She couldn’t help but shake her head and giggle a little as she walked by; they should have been in school, surely, and if the sun wasn’t blinding them, their brightly colored hair must have been.  She walked in a wide arc around them so as not to disturb them, stepping carefully out into the water, flip-flops still on, out to where the tidepools and rocky areas were. When the teenagers were out of sight, she found a relatively flat-topped rock to settle down on, being careful to brush her swimsuit cover flat before sitting.

The sea beyond her glittered in the sunlight, the waters a much more vibrant blue than the murky, sloshing foam she was used to at night.  She was entirely captured by the sight, only absently opening her lunch bag as she watched the waves gently slither up the rocks and recede just before spraying her feet.  Before she was even able to return to the world enough to begin eating, she saw the iridescent form of the mermaid, blue and pink and silver, vibrant in the clear water, swim up to the rocks carefully.  Cerridwen was caught off guard, but she couldn’t resist a small smile when the mermaid’s head surfaced and her eyes, bright blue, met her own.

“I didn’t pick a difficult spot, did I?”  She cooed, and the mermaid shook her head, weaving between the rocks and finding a place to rest herself comfortably.  Her skin wasn’t even scratched by the rough rocks or the razorlike barnacles upon them.

As usual, Cerridwen continued the conversation.  “I’m really glad you actually figured out where to find me,”  Her smile stayed upon her lips as she opened a small ziploc bag, within it two halves of a sandwich, without the crust and cut into two triangles.  The sight of such things made the mermaid lean up a little bit, her eyes dazzling.

“Well, yeah, there’s only one real beach here…”  The mermaid cooed distantly, eyeing the food as Cerridwen took a small bite from it.

Cerridwen didn’t even bother with asking the mermaid why she was so interested in her food; she simply tore off a corner and handed it to her.  “Here, I know bread isn’t good for you, but you look like you’re about to start drooling, dear,” She giggled lightly, waiting for the mermaid’s reaction.

“What… what’s in this?  It tastes weird,” The mermaid stuck out her tongue a little, her fangs clearly not suited for bread and lettuce.

“It’s got some sliced up ham, some lettuce, white bread, mayo… it’s called a cold cut sandwich,”

“It’s not great,”

“I know, I know,”  Cerridwen finished off the rest of the first triangle, taking a small water bottle out of her bag.  “But just wait until you see this.” She unscrewed the lid, taking a sip and showing it to the mermaid afterward.

“Wh… what’s that?”

“It’s water,”  Cerridwen giggled again; all of the mermaid’s reactions, her wide eyes, the way she scrunched up her nose, all were adorable.

“Why would you need to carry water around with you?  There’s plenty here!”

“That stuff is too salty, dear… and it’s unclean.”

“Unclean!”  The mermaid cried out in protest, pushing herself up out of the water for emphasis.  “It’s perfectly fine!! Do I look unclean to you?”

“Well…”  Cerridwen felt the both of them were on the verge of laughter, and she hid her smile beneath her hand on instinct.  “No, you look gorgeous,”

The mermaid was visibly caught off guard, the laughter in her lips fading, her eyes dropping to the rocks as she felt her cheeks heat up.

“Thank you, I guess,”

* * *

 

After lunch, the duo decided to head out further.  The mermaid was itching to leave behind the chance of being seen, and the woman seemed like she was happy simply to follow.  Leaving her lunchbox behind, she let the mermaid lead the way through the tidepools. As they both carefully traversed the rocks, the mermaid got a chance to really, truly look at the woman without a puffy sweater or jacket on.

She was beautiful, her bathing suit covered by a transparent dress she was careful to keep out of the water.  She shone in the sunlight, her eyes bright, the curls in her hair glowing almost with a purple hue, the fabric of her cover shimmering faintly.  Aside from her darker skin, she resembled a Renaissance woman, with her full lips, her soft figure, the slightly distant gleam in her eyes.

The mermaid couldn’t muster enough courage to tell her how lovely she looked.

Cerridwen, however, voiced her opinions just fine.

“You know,”  She began, carefully stepping from one foothold to another, “You look stunning in the sunlight, dear… your hair and your scales, they’re so much more colorful out here in the sun,”  Needless to say, the mermaid was reduced to blushing and blowing bubbles just beneath the water’s surface, to which she heard Cerridwen laugh.

“Thanks,”  The mermaid managed to squeak out, diverting Cerridwen’s attention as quickly as she could to something less embarrassing.  “Look!” She called softly, swimming ahead of her a little to show Cerridwen a little pool full of shells. “These probably got brought up by the tide and got stuck,”

To the mermaid’s relief, Cerridwen’s attention was adequately diverted, and her eyes shone with a familiar enchantment at seeing the gorgeously pigmented shells.  She bent down to pick one up. Her foot slipped on the rock, and with a quick cry, she fell forward. She blinked, and the mermaid had managed to catch her, but only barely.  The mermaid saw her wince and helped the woman sit up, worry written all over her face.

“Are- are you okay?”  The mermaid asked, her voice hushed.

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay…”  Cerridwen stood back up carefully, her face falling when she realized her cover-up dress had gotten soaked.  “Just scraped my leg a bit, is all,” She definitely had an angry spot on her leg, but it didn’t look fatal. Even so, the mermaid reached up to hold Cerridwen’s hand before she could protest, and squeezed it softly.  The woman gave her a look of puzzlement in return.

“For comfort, you’re hurt,”  The mermaid explained, her voice still small.

“Oh, I’m not that hurt, dear…”  Cerridwen giggled softly, but made no move to release her hand.

“But still!  You humans, I swear… you can’t drink regular water, and you’re sad, and now you can get hurt by falling in the vicinity of some rocks?  Goodness gracious,” The mermaid let out a soft sigh, driving a bit of blush to Cerridwen’s cheeks.

“Well… thank you, I suppose… I’m glad you can put up with me being so needlessly delicate, I guess,”  She mustered a soft smile, keeping a careful hold on the mermaid’s hand as they began walking again.

“Of course,”

* * *

 

Cerridwen felt the evening breeze easily filter through her cover, causing her to shiver.  She glided carefully out of the water, having grabbed her lunchbox a little ways back.

“Make sure you get warm,”  The mermaid called to her, a look of worry on her face.  It hadn’t faded since that afternoon, and it had made Cerridwen’s chest ache.

“You stay safe too, dear,”  She mustered another smile, waving to her before she turned her back, feeling her shivers surface less and less as her sopping cover was chilled even further by the wind.  As she neared her car, she pulled it off with slightly numb fingers, sighing as she tossed it and her lunchbox into the backseat of her car and pre-emptively turned the heater and seat-warmers on full blast.  She opened the trunk, pulled a towel out and, making sure she was at least decently dry, reached for couple blankets and wrapped herself in them. She closed the doors and sat in the front seat of her car, curling her legs up to her chest and slowly warming herself up.

She made soup when she got home, but her mind was rather absent.  On top of being exhausted and a little sunburned from the day, she was unable to clear her mind from visions of the mermaid, elegant, strong, glittering and iridescent in the sun.  She fell asleep with the image of her deep blue eyes floating in her mind, her quiet voice asking if she was okay, her cold, firm palms. She was beautiful, a predator, elegant, exotic, _a predator_ , gentle, _**a predator…**_

But she felt safe around her nonetheless.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a heart's desire is sealed, then broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no... did i not.... warn you guys...? this one was gonna.... be sad????  
> tragic.
> 
> https://lyricstranslate.com/en/salt-salt.html#songtranslation

Cerridwen dreamed of the mermaid that night.

When she opened her eyes, a freezing wind gusted past her, buffeting against the cliff that stood, massive and strikingly white in the moonlight, to her left.  In front of her, the wooden dock sat at a slant, the far end having disappeared into the murky, frothing water. Her shoulders were noticeably cold; she drew her arms up to hold them, finding her hands laden in white satin gloves.  Holding her hands before her, she looked down upon herself; she wore a large ball gown, the billowing folds shimmering blue and purple, the lace beneath as white as the cliff when revealed in the wind.

A shiver wracked her form, and she let out a stuttering breath in a cloud of vapor, her hands clinging her sides tightly.  When she opened her eyes, the wind having passed, the lapping of the white foam at the wood of the deck caught her attention.  It slithered up to her feet, and in her cold lethargy, she failed to step back in time. Past her glass heels the water rose, gracing her skin with not an icy sensation, but a warm one, like rays of gentle sun.  The feeling confused her, and she stumbled back, looking up to the sky.

She was met with a dizzying sight, the stars spinning above her, and she felt herself almost collapse onto the wood before she was able to tear herself away and take a few deep breaths.  The cold air hurt with each inhale, but what other choice did she have?

She saw the mermaid, lithe and smooth, rise from the foam with flawless grace and lean her forearms on the submerged end of the dock.  The added weight caused the wood to creak and tip further toward the water, and Cerridwen gasped and gathered up her dress as she began to slide toward the water.

“Don’t be afraid, my love…”  The mermaid sang, reaching out to Cerridwen with a pale, dripping hand.  Cerridwen swallowed, exhaling a hesitant breath, taking a small step toward the water and taking the mermaid’s hand, her dress carefully lifted up in the other.  She had time to take but one small breath before the mermaid pulled her down into the water, past the dock and below the reach of the moonlight.

Cerridwen was suddenly in a warm world of blue, welcoming and all-enveloping.  Her dress billowed up around her in rippling waves of cloth, and after pushing it down a bit with her free hand, she was faced with the mermaid’s eyes.  Her hair, almost silver beneath the water, freely floating between the two of them, framed her mesmerizing face perfectly. The mermaid reached for her other hand, and Cerridwen gave it without protest, comforted by the firm grasp the mermaid gave her.

“You’re so beautiful…”  The mermaid’s voice echoed in her head as her surreal figure pulled her gently closer.  Cerridwen vaguely felt her lungs pulse and ache, and the water pressure begin to rise around her as the light from the sky above faded and they sank deeper, but the mermaid’s loving gaze enraptured her and kept her from all but the feeling of her hands gently holding her own.

She watched the world go black without the slightest care.

Cerridwen woke up in a cold sweat, shooting straight up in bed as she gasped for air, coughing and tearing up uncontrollably.  Desperate for space and air, she threw the sheets off herself and scrambled out of bed, frantically unlatching the window, forcing it open, and taking in as much of the icy air as she could manage.  The night wind blasted her face and brought with it the sudden sensation of familiarity and safety. Cerridwen’s nerves settled as she took breaths of the salty air, the trembling in her fingers fading as she let them numb on the cold metal of the window frame.  Sighing softly and finding a tentative smile surface to her lips, she looked up to the stars.

“Oh, dad…”  She whispered, leaning out to rest her elbows on the window frame, resting her cheeks in her hands.  “What am I supposed to do…? She’s so…” Cerridwen grasped for words, but found nothing that filled the image of the mermaid in her head.

“She’s so… captivating….”  She finally managed, sighing again and closing the window, feeling her nose start to go a little numb.  She knew she wouldn’t be going back to sleep anytime soon, and spent a moment in her room wondering what to do before she realized: her father had kept many a book up at the top of the lighthouse.

Her steps, muffled by fuzzy socks, echoed off the walls of the lighthouse tower in muted thuds as she ascended the stairs.  When she reached the top, she crouched down beneath the control panel, pulling out a few dusty boxes and opening them. The sweet aroma of old books filled her lungs, and she sighed happily, running her fingers over the spines of the various books.

If there was any time to read about the mesmerizing creatures of the deep, it was now.

* * *

The mermaid picked a sharp fishbone out from between her fangs.  Contrary to popular belief, she did not spend all day lamenting over being absent from Cerridwen’s company.  She did, however, find herself thinking about her often.

She snapped the fishbone between her incisors and crunched it effortlessly.  Looking at the rest of the skeleton in her fingers, she felt a painful reminder surface in her mind.  How delicate it was, just like Cerridwen…

She wanted to protect her more than anything.

Tossing the skeleton aside and letting it float down into the empty blue, the mermaid formed an idea.  If Cerridwen got hurt, especially at her expense, how was she to live with herself? Humans were so delicate, and if something happened to her…

She shook her head to banish the thoughts from it.  She knew where she could find an object… perhaps a medallion, a jewel,  a ring, that could make sure Cerridwen was never hurt.

Legend spoke of a shipwreck in one of the deepest corners of the ocean that was brimming with magical treasure.  Once belonging to a pirate king who believed he could never die, he sailed out on a ship that held all his riches and vowed to sail the entirety of the world’s seas.  He failed, of course, as all overconfident men do, but his riches were left untouched, for the most part.

The mermaid had been there before.  She could waste no time, she decided.  She needed to set out immediately, lest she return to Cerridwen with no protection, and she be hurt on her watch.

Before leaving, the mermaid left her usual handful of shells for Cerridwen on the dock while the sun was still high in the sky.  Before it set over the horizon, she set out.

* * *

Cerridwen trekked down the sandstone staircase as usual as the stars began to twinkle in the newly darkened sky.  She saw the small pile of shells on the dock and was confused at first, but gently poured them into her mason jar anyway.  She looked around, sweeping the lantern over the water, watching for signs of the mermaid. After finding herself without success, she knelt down on the dock, skimming her fingers through the water, hoping to draw her attention.

She waited a moment, but got no response.  Her heart began to ache. Had something happened?

“D--”  She hesitated, her words clumping up in her throat.  “Dearest?” She asked to the air, softly at first, then louder.  “Dearest?!” She cried out, feeling her shoulders fall, her breath leaving her in a cloud of wasted vapor that disappeared quickly in the air.

She felt her face twist, and she let out another breath in a huff.

“As soon as I get attached, too, huh…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for being patient ;;3;;  
> im really glad that!! a small army of people has decided to read this  
> and an army can be any size so any amount of people that have read this have become a little army!!!!!  
> i just wanted to thank you guys <333 since this story is probably gonna be comign to a close soon! who knows tho  
> also!! i know its a bit late now but! if you want notifications for chapter postings outside of getting emails fro mao3 i do have an ig where i post like! promo art and stuff!!!! if y'all want it, its @demonic.peonies lmao  
> no pressure tho!
> 
> anyways i love you guys and im getting sappy bc its late at night for me <3
> 
> also hm i thought this one would be a little longer im sorry


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